Air register



R. G. ROMIG June 19, 1956 AIR REGISTER 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed OGL. 24, 1952 m J w l L .MRU

/-//'.s ATToRNEYs R. G. ROMlG AIR REGISTER June 19, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed OCT.. 24, 1952 nited States Patent() AIR REGISTER Robert G. Romg, Webster, N. Y., assignor to General Motors Corporation, Detroit, Mich., a corporation of Delaware Application October 24, 1952, Serial No. 316,681

4 Claims. (Cl. 98--108) This invention relates to a terminal assembly or device in a controlled air-flow system where a Volume of air of predetermined characteristics is moved through a conduit system to exits into various rooms or compartments, the principal object being to distribute moving air along the surfaces of room walls instead of directly normal thereto.

Such devices are adaptable for the distribution of airstreams of known properties or characteristics, such as temperature, moisture, and the like, to rooms of apartments or residences so as to eliminate drafts and currents of air that are noticeably objectionable to occupants. To accomplish this end, a register box is provided with an air-flow divider for dividing the incoming air into streams llowing in opposite directions. A wall register with adjustable openings is thence provided for deecting the air-How along or against the wall surfaces surrounding the register or terminal assembly. The register proposed provides a parti-peripheral discharge of air on three sides of the register, and against the wall surface, the size of the opening being controlled by spacing of a panel member with respect to a frame forming part of the register. Adjustable lock means permits adjustment or closing of the opening between the panel and frame to any value within a limited spacing.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, wherein a preferred embodiment of the present inventio is clearly shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a front view of a register for the air-ow terminal assembly.

Fig. 2 is a bottom View thereof.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section through an air-flow terminal or register box substantially as indicated by line and arrows 3 3 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 4 is a transverse sectional view through the register and terminal box substantially as indicated by the line and arrows 4 4 of Fig. 1.

With particular reference to the drawings, and first with respect to Figs. 3 and 4, there is a register box 10 of rectangular form, comprising a back member 12, top member 14, bottom member 16 and end walls 18 and 20 which leaves an open side for air exit which is covered by a register 22. Through the bottom wall 16, there is an opening 24 provided with a tubular inlet 26 to be connected to the air conduit assembly of the air-ow system. Mounted within the box 10, there is an air-flow divider 28 having a folded edge 30 disposed over the opening 24, from which folded edge there are a pair of arcuate portions 32, 34 curving upwardly and outwardly toward the ends 18 and 20 of the box to be secured against the top wall 14 as at 36 and 38. This air divider extends nearly all of the way across the diameter of the tubular portion 26, as shown in Fig. 4, and is located substantially on the diameter of the tubular ICC inlet 26 as is shown in Fig. 3. The end portions 18 and 20 of the register box are fitted with brackets 40 and 42 that provide for mounting the register box on the framing of the wall. These brackets may be secured to the end walls of the box by screws or the like, 44.

When the terminal box is installed, it is tted with the register 22 comprising a frame member 46 having a rim portion 48 adapted to engage the surface of the room wall around three sides of the register, namely, the two opposite ends and the top thereof. The bottom flange or portion 50 of the frame member is adapted for engagement with the baseboard of the wall, and is joined to the right angle portion 52 adapted to slide within the register box in contact with the bottom wall 16, the portion 52 being appropriately notched at 54 so as not to interfere with air ow from the opening of the tubular portion 26. Around the end portions and top portions of the frame 46 the rim portions 48 are joined through an arcuate portion 56 to an inclined portion 58, in turn joining an inner flange 60 telescopically engaged within the peripheral wall of the register box 10. The telescoping relation of the parts 60 of the frame and the lwalls of the box 10 provide for tolerances in mounting the box 10 with respect to the room wall surfaces, and the frame 46 provides a bezel surrounding the open side of the box 10, with the inclined portions 58 tending to permit lateral iiow of air from the box when the open area of the box is covered by a panel 62.

The panel 62 has a flat rim 64 extending from the opposite ends and top thereof, each of which is joined by a sloping or angular portion 66 joined to a flat portion 68, the angular portion 66 being associated in parallelism with the inclined or flaring portion 58 of the frame member 46. Along the bottom edge of the panel member 62, a sloping portion 70, Figs. 1 and 4, joined at each end to the portion 66, has a depending right angular flange 72, Figs. 2 and 4, that is slidably engaged within the portions 52 and 54 of the frame member 46. A resilient strap '74 is secured at 76 to the inside surface of the ared portion 66 and has a spring tongue 78 bent rearwardly to frictionally engage within the ilange 60 of the frame member 46, thus frictionally supporting the panel member 62 for slidable movement to and from the frame member 46 that will close oif or vary the spacing between the inclined portions 58 and 66.

A portion of the strap is extended to a bend 82 with a portion 84 extending through an aperture 86 of the flat portion 68 to end in an angular portion 88 in front of the panel. A threaded stud 94 passing through a hole in a countersink 98 of the at portion 68 is threaded into a bracket 100 secured to the arcuate deectors 32 and 34 of the air-flow divider 28. That portion 80 of the strap is apertured at 90 to receive a shank portion 92 of the screw stud 94 and the strap is so flexed that it normally engages the shank portion to act as a lock preventing the panel 62 sliding along the shank of the stud. Threading the stud into and out of the bracket controls the maximum spacing between the panel and frame, and thus controls the rate of air-How out of the register between the parts 58 and 66.

This spacing can be altered to values less than that defined by the screw, by flexing the portion 80 of the strap to disengage the shank portion 92 and moving the panel in or out of the frame. That is accomplished by movement of a button or knob 104 located in front of the flat portion 68 and frictionally mounted on the angular portion 88. A spring pad 106 secured within a well 108 of the knob is receptive of the angular portion 88. By manipulation of the button 104 to ex the strap, the panel 62 may be moved inwardly to change the spacing of the flaring portions 53 and 66, or to entirely close the opening between the frame and panel. When the panel is adjusted with respect to the frame, the flange 72 of the panel slides along the surface of the flange 52 of the frame and the strap 7S slides Within the top flange 6@ of the frame. The knob 104 is readily removable to adjust the screw stud 94 that determines the maximum opening between the panel and frame, and yet provides, by means of the recess 1111, for quick adjustment or closing of the outlet, since the head 96 of the stud may move throughout the depth of the recess 1.10 which is always greater than the lineal extent of separation between the flaring portions S8 and 66.

When a stream of tempered air is admitted through the opening 24 into the terminal box, a divider assembly 30 converts substantially all of the velocity, or kinetic energy, of the incoming air stream into a pressure head, adjacent the peripheral edge of the deliector panel 62, with a substantially greater pressure at the lateral sides thereof than at the top side. This pressure head, when transformed into velocity, results in a higher lateral velocity flow of air than a vertical velocity, with the amount of air emitted from the peripheral opening in the lateral and vertical directions being determined by the relationship of the cross sectional areas adjacent the edges of the delector panel.

While the embodiment of the present invention as herein disclosed, constitutes a preferred form, it is to be understood that other forms might be adopted.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. In an air delivery system for tempered air, a terminal assembly comprising in combination, a register box having a tempered air inlet, an air-flow divider within said box for splitting the air stream into oppositely directed moving portions, a register covering an open side of said box and providing a frame member having flared portions surrounding the box, a panel having flared portions for deecting air movement away from said box, and adjustable means supporting the panel centrally of said frame and telescopically engaging said frame for controlling the spacing of the flared portions at the periphery of the panel and the frame.

2. In a system for conducting moving air to a room, the combination comprising, a register box having an open side substantially flush with a room wall, said register box having an inlet port, a register frame having portions telescopically engaged with the open side of the register box, a face panel having inclined peripheral portions overlapping said frame, guide portions on said panel telescopically and frictionally engaged within said frame, adjustable support means for dening the spacing between the frame and panel, and a friction lock for maintaining the panel in selected spaced relation with respect to the frame.

3. The combination set forth in claim 2, wherein the spacing between said panel and frame provides a partiperirneter opening on three sides of said box for distribution of moving air along the supporting wall upward and in opposite horizontal direction.

4. In a system for distributing moving air over a wall area, the combination comprising7 a register box having an open side substantially flush with the wall, said box having an air inlet port for the moving air, a register including a frame surrounding the open side of said box and disposed against said wall, a deector panel in front of the open side of said box and overlapping the inner portion of said register frame, said panel having portions for deflecting air movement from the box laterally along three sides of said register to provide a pattern of air-Flow covering the surface of said wall, a bracket support within the register box, a screw stud having threaded connection with the bracket and operative connection with the panel for supporting the panel, said screw stud being adjustable to control the maximum spacing between the register frame and the panel, and a normally iiexed, resilient member carried by the panel and engageable with the stud, said resilient member constituting the operative connection between the panel and the stud and being adjustable thereupon for establishing a selected spacing between the panel and the frame` References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,013,631 Wilson Jan. 2, 1912 1,318,328 Doyle Oct. 7, 1919 1,585,116 Sala May 18, 1926 1,952,707 Germonprez Mar, 27, 1934 2,355,294 Herbster Aug. 8, 1944 2,365,867 Dauphinee Dec. 26, 1944 2,367,104 Demuth Jan. 9, 1945 2,555,978 Kooiker lune 5, 1951 2,593,133 Geary Apr. 15, 1952 FORETGN PATENTS 525,222 Great Britain Aug. 23, 194() 

